Splice-joint for railway-rails.



Patented Nov. 27, I900.

W. B DGDDRIDGE. SPLICE JOINT FDR RAILWAY RAILS.

(Application filed Aug. 2, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Modal.)

No. 662,7I2. Patented Nov. 27, [900. w. B. nunnmnee.

SPLICE JOINT FOR RAILWAY RAILS.

(Application filed Aug. 2, 1898 J (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shaat 2.

STATES WILLIAM B. DODDRIDGE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THEAMERICAN STEEL FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPLICE-JOINT FOR RAILWAY RAlLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,712, dated November27, 1900.

Application filed August 2, 1898.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LWILLIAM B. DODDRIDGE, a citizen of the United States,residing in St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certainnew and ,useful Improvements in Splice-Joints for Railway-Rails; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The improvement relates to that class of rail way-joints covered inLetters Patent of the United States issued to me on the 26th day of May,1896, No. 560,S97viz., those which are more especially intended to beapplied to the rails between the ties and form what are termedsuspensionq'ointsf and the invention has for its object to improve,simplify, and strengthen the formerly-patented construction and renderit more durable and efficient in operation.

The present improvement is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein Figure 1 is a side view looking in the direction of the arrow inFig. 2, which represents the joint in top plan View as applied to therails. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig.2.

The same reference-letters are used in all the figures to denote thesame parts.

In the construction of my former patent the splice-bars were separatefrom the clamp or joint proper; but in the presentimprovemeut I extendor elongate the side wings of the clamp proper on the side away from thewedge, so as to make the bars on that side integral with the joint. Thisis clearly indicated in Fig. 2, where a indicates what corresponds tothe clamp in the former arrangement, and b the strengthening-rib. Theside wings c c or, as they will be called hereinafter, the splicebars,are integral with the clamp or joint proper and are practicallycoextensive in length with the separate bars of the patentedconstruction, so as to span the space between the rails and suspend thejoint and rail ends therebetween. These splice-bars are formed bybending the metal of the wings inwardly and downwardly, as shown at cland e in Fig. 3, so that they fit snugly between the head and foot ofthe rail and clamp the latter tightly upon the bottom of the joint,where it Serial N0.687,5l8. (No model.)

extends clear around and underneath the rails and upon the ties at eachend of the bars. At suitable points near their ends the vertical webs ofthese integral splice-bars are provided with bolt-holes f for bindingtogether the bars located on opposite sides of the rails with the railsbetween them, and the bolts pass through both splice-bars and the web ofthe rail. Spike-holes g are also'furnished in the foot port-ion of thesplice-bars for securing them fixedly to and upon the ties. It will beunderstood from Fig. 2 that the splice-bars c c are formed by extendingthe side wings only of the clamp a or what I call the joint proper. Thefloor or bottom of the joint is not necessarily widened, but is ofsubstantially the width of the whole clamp in the patented constructionand is indicated by dotted lines h h in Fig.2 and in full lines inFig. 1. The present improvement is not restricted, however, to anyparticular width of the floor or bottom of the joint proper.

On the opposite side of the joint from the parts just described theconstruction is similar to that of my former patent,this wall of thejoint being formed with the seat 0; for the reception of the split keyj,which wedges the independent splice-bar between the head and foot ofthe rail in a manner well understood since the introduction of myformerlypatented construction.

The splice-bar 7.: is constructed somewhat differently from thecorresponding one in the before-meutioned patent and improved resultobtained as follows: Instead of bending the bar so that its lower edgeonly rests upon the floor of the joint and upon the ties, I elongate theinclined horizontal part and provide it along the outer edge with a fiatfoot Z, thus giving it a greater bearing-surface upon the bottom of thejoint as well as underneath the overhanging portion a of its verticalwall, as indicated in Fig. 3. This modification of the splice-bar k isrendered possible by a construction of the joint that is characteristicof the present improve1nent-viz., its wide fiat base, as compared withsimilar joints heretofore known or used, a feature which adds strengthand initial stability to the structure.

It will be seen from the above description, taken in connection with thedrawings, that the clamp part of the joint being integral with thesplice-bars c c and the latter being bolted through the Web of the railsthe clamp cannotbecomedisplacedlaterally. In former arrangements thisclamp Was liable to creep sidewise owing to the constant hammering andjarring of the wheels on the rails, and another cause of displacement ofthe clamp was the necessity for occasionally tightening up the joint bydriving the split Wedge further in. All this liability to creeping anddisplacement of the joint is entirely obviated by the presentimprovement, for the splicebars a 0 being integral with the clamp andbeing themselves bolted to the rails and the ties there can be nomovement of any of the parts and the split key may be tightened up asoften as required without danger of displacing the joint.

What I claim, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

A suspension splice-joint for railway-rails,

consisting of the clamp or joint at having side walls on opposite sidesof the rails, and an integrally-formed floor on which the rails restbetween the ties, the joint having the walls on one side extendedlaterally to form integral splice-bars, the independent splice-bar 70 onthe opposite side of the rails; having an enlarged fiat foot engagingthe floor and side wall and the split Wedgej for jamming said barbetween the rails and the opposite side WILLIAM B. DODDRIDGE.

Witnesses:

F. W. IRLAND, W. E. OSBORNE.

